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Education & Resources

We support science-based research on issues related to aquaculture and are working in conjunction with leading experts in the fields of aquaculture and distance education to provide training and educational materials to the public. We also support the further application of this material in localized workshops organized by regional supporters and partners.

We recently launched our online educational platform "Global Aquaculture Academy" featuring three new courses. If you have an account already please pick a course from the dropdown below. If you do not yet have an account please register to gain access to our educational classes then visit here.

Organization Updates

Check back to this area periodically to get the latest organizational updates on all that GAA does.

Communications and Events Manager Steven Hedlund talks GOAL 2021

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Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) announces changes to Farm Standard (Issue 3.0)

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The Aquademia Podcast

Aquademia Podcast

Described as the seafood industry’s top podcast

Hosted by Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Shaun O’Loughlin, Justin Grant,
 and Maddie Cassidy, Aquademia is your go-to podcast for a fresh take on all things seafood. The podcast aims to educate consumers and industry professionals on how seafood is connected with the issues facing our planet, what consumers can do to help, and arm them with the knowledge to make better seafood choices! Each episode features interviews from professionals of many disciplines to demonstrate how deeply seafood is connected with our world. From seafood industry professionals to environmental scientists to chefs, all voices are included, and all will find something interesting in the podcast.

 

Most Recent

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"Love this seafood—centric podcast. Although I think I know a lot about the seafood industry, I’m still learning new things. I appreciate the guest expert perspectives and exposure to both consumer and industry topics. Thank you!"
"I love this podcast, it’s very informative and fun to boot! I love learning about the different facets of the seafood industry and how consumers influence it in such drastic ways. Plus, the hosts are hilarious! I’m looking forward to learning more about specific species of fish and how they are cultivated and marketed to consumers!"
"This is a great podcast about a serious subject. The team presents news about aquaculture in an entertaining and knowledgeable way. The sound is professional and top-notch."
"Shaun, Maddie & Justin have a great energy & they put their guests at ease, creating an informative / entertaining discussion about seafood!!! Eat more seafood!!!!!"
"Excellent job connecting us with some of the incredible wealth of aquaculture and seafood knowledge that has been out of the mainstream for too long."
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Videos

The story of aquaculture cannot be told in just words alone. See aquaculture in action around the globe and hear from the people who love and fight for sustainable practices.

Watch All
Why we need both farmed and wild seafood
Aquaculture and the environment
Farmed Seafood: Fact vs. Fiction
What is aquaculture and why do we need it?

The Academy

If you have an account already please pick a course from the dropdown below. If you do not yet have an account please register to gain access to our educational classes.

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FAQs

Aquaculture is an up-and-coming industry that many people are curious about. GAA is happy to be a resource to answer all of your questions.

Select a category to view FAQs

Aquaculture is the controlled process of cultivating aquatic organisms, especially for human consumption. It’s a similar concept to agriculture, but with fish instead of plants or livestock. Aquaculture is also referred to as fish farming. By 2030, 62% of all seafood produced for human consumption will come from aquaculture. Given that overfishing of our oceans and other national resources is continuously increasing year over year, humans need alternate sources for seafood to feed the planet’s ever-growing population. Aquaculture is the tool to fill the gap of seafood supply. Farming fish responsibly and sustainably is the solution to providing future generations with access to healthy and environmentally friendly protein options.
Over 250 species of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans are farmed in aquaculture.
Aquaculture has a long history dating as far back as 2500 BCE! Both the Egyptians and Romans are believed to have cultured fish, and the Chinese raised carp circa 2000 BCE.
The fisheries and aquaculture industries employ about 820 million people worldwide (12% of the global population). Three billion people rely on seafood as their primary source of protein. Seafood is not only a dietary staple for many people, but its consumption is cultural and provides employment opportunities.
The industry’s struggles in the past are well-known. Producers are working to be as transparent as possible with these problems. Certification programs like Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) have identified reoccurring problems across the industry and have used them to create standards to prevent them from happening in the future. Like other industries that grow rapidly, aquaculture is still adjusting as to how best to approach social issues that arise. Transparency into the industry and the work certification programs do will continue to drive social responsibility in aquaculture.
Not only is aquaculture necessary to fill the gap in supply of seafood, it is also a sustainable option for consumers, especially in comparison to other farmed proteins. Seafood is highly resource efficient – it has the highest protein retention compared to chicken, pork and beef. It also has the lowest feed conversion ratio, and has lower greenhouse gas emissions than other types of animal farming. With the industry’s desire to lessen its environmental impact coupled with help of technological development, aquaculture has vastly improved in recent years. Farmed fish should no longer be dismissed as unsustainable.
Vegetable proteins and oils can replace 1/3 to 1/2 of fishmeal in feeds for many farmed species, reducing the need for wild-caught fish for fishmeal. Using plant-based ingredients like soy can also help the industry meet the increasing demand for healthy, sustainable protein.
Successful fish farmers understand the signs of stress in their fish and work to understand and minimize them. Animals’ stress can lead to disease outbreaks and losses of animals, which not only financially hurts the producer, but it is also harmful to the animals. As these results are bad for the animal and producer, it is in the producer’s best interest to ensure that their animals are happy and healthy.
Unlike wild fish, the diets of farmed fish are developed and carefully monitored to ensure the fish produced are safe and healthy to consume. The BAP certification program has a feed mill standard to ensure responsibly sourced ingredients are used in the feed.
When any type of animal is surrounded by other animals, disease outbreaks can unfortunately occasionally happen. One of the main issues consumers hear about farmed fish is that they contain antibiotics, and therefore are unhealthy for humans to eat. Naturally, if their animals contract diseases, producers want to mitigate it as efficiently as possible. In some cases, the most humane way to do so is with antibiotics. The judicious usage of antibiotics is the best route for certain cases. It can be what is best for the animal and will help them recover. Judicious use of antibiotics, best management practices, and regulations include a withdrawal period in which the fish cannot be harvested while medicine is still in their system. Withdrawal periods are set by governing agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Eco-label certification programs like Best Aquaculture Practices require third-party auditing of aquaculture facilities, as well as food safety testing of products before awarding certification. Be sure to look for the BAP logo when buying farmed seafood!
Salmon get their pink coloring by consuming food, often krill and other shellfish, that contain pigments called carotenoids. Farmed salmon’s feed is supplemented with carotenoids like natural and/or synthetic astaxanthin, so they are getting the same carotenoids they would find in the wild.

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